In brief: Top-seeded Capitals exit in first round

NHL: Led by Jaroslav Halak’s spectacular, acrobatic goaltending, the Montreal Canadiens slowed Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals’ high-powered offense to complete an unlikely comeback and eliminate the NHL’s best regular-season team in the first round.
Halak made 41 saves, Marc-Andre Bergeron scored a 4-on-3 goal in the last 30 seconds of the opening period Wednesday night, and eighth-seeded Montreal held on to beat Washington 2-1 in Game 7, stunning the Presidents’ Trophy winners by reeling off three consecutive victories.
The Canadiens are the ninth No. 8 team to knock off a No. 1 in 32 matchups since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994 – and the first to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
Dominic Moore made it 2-0 for the Canadiens with 31/2 minutes left in the third period.
Brooks Laich cut Washington’s deficit to a goal by poking home a shot while down on his knees after Ovechkin put the puck on net off a rebound. That made it 2-1 with 2:16 left, but the Capitals couldn’t knot the score despite a 6-on-4 power play with 1:44 remaining.
Montreal moves on to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins in the second round, with Game 1 at Pittsburgh on Friday. The fourth-seeded Penguins were the only higher-seeded team to win a first-round series in the Eastern Conference.
All three division champions in the East – Washington, New Jersey and Buffalo – have been eliminated.
Bucks stun Hawks, grab 3-2 series lead
NBA: Brandon Jennings teamed with Kurt Thomas in a duo for the ages and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled within one win of an improbable first-round upset.
Jennings scored 25 points, Thomas drew a crucial charging foul against Joe Johnson and the Bucks stunned Atlanta with a 14-0 run late in the game, beating the favored Hawks 91-87 in Atlanta for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Milwaukee’s third straight win over third-seeded Atlanta gives the upstarts a chance to wrap up the series at home in Game 6 on Friday night.
•Nuggets stay alive: Carmelo Anthony finished with a double-double – 26 points and 11 rebounds – Chauncey Billups scored 21 and J.R. Smith added 17 points off the bench as the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination with a 116-102 win over the visiting Utah Jazz.
Deron Williams finished with 34 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who still hold a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
Game 6 is Friday in Salt Lake City.
•Orlando’s Howard fined: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was fined $35,000 by the NBA for criticizing officials on his blog, the second time this season he’s been penalized for posting such comments.
Howard was in chronic foul trouble and constantly complaining about officiating in the Magic’s series sweep over Charlotte. He fouled out in the last two games, played only 105 minutes and committed 22 fouls in four games.
“I’m not looking to say anything to get myself in trouble with the league, but I just don’t see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them,” Howard posted on his blog. “No star player in the league is outta games the way I am.”
Seahawks sign long snapper Overton
NFL: The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with long snapper Matt Overton to address a problem area from recent seasons.
The team also announced it agreed to terms with safety Quinton Teal while releasing cornerback DeAngelo Willingham and punter Tom Malone.
The moves come on the eve of the expected announcement that nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones is retiring. The 36-year-old Jones has had two knee surgeries and hasn’t played since Thanksgiving 2008.
•Dolphins owner weighs in: A day after Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland apologized for an offensive question to Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant in a predraft interview, majority owner Steve Ross said he would personally look into the matter.
Ireland apologized publicly Tuesday, less than five hours after Yahoo Sports reported he had asked Bryant if his mother was a prostitute when Bryant met with the Dolphins at the beginning of this month.
Bryant’s background, as well as that of his mother, Angela, who served 18 months in jail more than a decade ago for drug trafficking, was highly scrutinized by many NFL teams leading up to the draft.
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement that NFL teams can’t have “free reign” to ask questions which are “stereotyping” or “may bring a personal insult to any player as a man.”
IOC orders China to return medal
Miscellany: Ten years after its gymnastics team won an Olympic bronze medal in Sydney, China was ordered to give it back for using an underage girl, allowing the United States to claim it.
Acting on evidence that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games, the International Olympic Committee stripped the country of the women’s team bronze.
•Coronas At Delmar wins again: Coronas At Delmar is now 4 for 4 in 2010 and his latest victory was his biggest.
The 5-year-old horse trained by Jonathan Nance and ridden by Juan Gutierrez defeated a field of nine to win the Portland Mile – the signature race at Portland Meadows.
Overtime Victory was second, while Stealth Attack took third.